Part 83: Update LXXII - All the good in this life

Update LXXII - All the good in this life

Music: Deathly Silent






Twice, who even now still holds tightly to his beliefs, slowly begins to fade away like all of the others. But whether he's following his own rules or those of the Moon Cell, I cannot say for sure.









...If we were both truly righteous or not.



For whatever reason, he just fades away without the black mist that everyone else got.

Farewell, Twice H. Pieceman.

And in an instant, I thought I saw something that was truly him, but it might have been just an illusion. Without any time to contemplate what was happening, Twice Pieceman passes into oblivion. His Servant, too, will soon join him in the void.





The one who sought enlightenment through strength and perseverance still has an untainted soul.



King of blood-drenched battle. In Nirvana, let us witness the end of the world, for there lies your salvation.







Farewell, Gautama Buddha.

With an expression much like his Master's, the Servant fades away like a flower losing its petals. The only person to have escaped the cycle of suffering, seen by some as a savior of the spirit of humanity. ...I see now. He did not support Twice's ideals. Instead, he was showing compassion for the soul of the human known as Twice Pieceman.



The girl's relief is obvious in her tone of voice. However, the ending has yet to be revealed. There remains one last thing to do. The Holy Grail. The war will only come to an end once the victor claims it for their own.



The smile on Rani's face is proof that she has yet to realize that the winner of this war and Twice are the same. The moment I touch the Holy Gra— the Moon Cell, I will be identified as irregular data and erased from memory. The thought of leaving this girl who finally learned to feel is painful, but some things cannot be changed.

Rani did figure it out though, literally right before the fight!


However, even if I am to be deleted there should still be a small window of opportunity. Time enough to sneak in a modest wish. To extinguish the remaining fires of war that Twice had set ablaze. To put an end to the senseless bloodshed of the Holy Grail War once and for all. The Moon Cell Automaton. The very mind of god. I will seal it away so that no one will ever be able to access it again.



And also to return her, the last true survivor, safely to her mortal existence. A number of wishes race through my mind, but I won't have the time to ask for them all. I can only ask for the most important of my desires. But any wish I make will be influenced by the experiences I gained fighting in this war. I make my way to the Holy Grail, the object that is both bane and boon to the one fortunate enough to survive.











The gentle expression on her face puts my worries at ease as no soulless doll is capable of a smile that's so alive. Even if I don't return, she can live the rest of her life as a real person capable of human emotions. And with that I move on towards the gate without further hesitation and without looking back.








Music: Stops


Video: The End.






Music: Goodbye
Sound: Water bubbling


...The instant I make contact with it, I am drawn inside the Holy Grail. To be more accurate, I am absorbed into it like water being absorbed by a sponge.



In the short time before I'm erased from existence, my consciousness is immersed into the Moon Cell. I can see everything that exists within it: every piece of information, every observation, every conclusion. The sheer volume of information and ideas stored in the Moon Cell forms an intricate collage that no human could decipher, though I sense a pattern. In fact, I cannot say that Twice's interpretation of human history as recorded by the Moon Cell was wrong. For war has always brought change. But in this day and age, humanity has mistaken stagnation for peace.

Iiiiiiiiiii'm really not fond of this, honestly. It feels a bit, I don't know, unearned?

Like, Shirou knowingly walked to his death in Heaven's Feel, sure, but most of the damn route was spent building up to it. Here? Hakuno sacrificing herself is just an out of left field thing thrown at her. She spent the entire game working towards the Grail in order to survive, then finds out that lol no, the Grail kills her too.

Suffice to say, this all got retconned immediately when Extella came out.

But that's like 6 years away, so Hakuno is fucking dead.



And throughout it all, the Moon Cell continues to silently record what it sees, without ever taking action. After endlessly analyzing the data it records, it files away its conclusions and resumes its role of voyeur. It is there on Earth that the whole of human existence is contained. Whatever triumphs and tragedies befall mankind and their world, the Moon Cell continues to silently observe and record. It is that strength, that force of existence, that Twice failed to see and understand— But now is not the time to become emotional. I have to tell the Holy Grail what my wish is.

Sound: Typing




—However. Oddly, the time of my death doesn't seem to be coming any time soon. Being one with the Moon Cell, I share its unique view of time where infinity can be contained in a single second. So even the briefest moment seems somewhat more drawn out than normal. But even with that, it—?



Of course Tamamo tagged along with us.

I can hear my Servant mutter into my ear. They aren't there in person, but as a part of the Holy Grail. My guess is that my Servant had somehow slipped unseen into the Holy Grail the same time I entered.



I mean, what kind of horrible wife would I be if I didn't help my dear Master perform their final duty?!

No matter how weak I may be, I will continue to fight on until my body is turned to dust!

...So that's what she's doing. With the additional presence, the time the Moon Cell needs to finish the elimination process is increased. She came here to help me one last time, no matter the cost to herself. Some things will never change...



However, a delay this long can't be the result of my Servant's presence. Something else must be going on. Since I'm connected to the Moon Cell, it shouldn't be too difficult to find out what's going on. In what seems to be only a heartbeat, the whole of my consciousness arrives as one long data file.





-The info in this data file concerns a patient with a fatal brain disease that affects memory retention. And the only doctor familiar with the surgical procedure used to treat the disease died in a terrorist attack.



This honestly feels even more contrived than Hakuno and Twice dying in the same place!

Hakuno is an AI! Wait, Moon Cell AIs are based on dead people! Wait, Hakuno isn't even dead, and Twice was the only person who could have saved them! What was with Hakuno's memories of where Twice died, then?

To give an idea of how little impact the living Hakuno has, I think they get mentioned like, once, in CCC, and completely drop from relevancy after that. Not even Extella mentions them.

...shit, I think I figured it out. Hakuno has no memories of her life, while Twice knew everything about his living self. Since both are Moon Cell AIs, they had to squeeze in a justification for why Hakuno had no memories at the last second. Hence the living Hakuno having a disease that gives amnesia. That way, there are no memories for the Moon Cell to record and give to AI Hakuno.

That must be the reason why I'm still around; the Moon Cell needs more time to analyze this new information. But I'm sure that girl didn't come here as a Wizard. I'm just a copy of a person trapped in an endless dream. Whatever the case, my fate is almost assured. I'm sure that my time here is fast coming to an end. However, there remains enough time to send out one final message.

Music: None


We then cut to elsewhere.



The credits also start up.



It's Rani! She made it back to the real world!



...was she just sitting in that chair while she was in the SE.RA.PH?

For two months?



Sound: Phone ringing






And even if it turns out she no longer needs me, that'd be okay as well.



As for Rin?


Music: School I


And with that, the credits start rolling for real.









While Savior was unvoiced, you know who did get voiced?

The bonus boss. They get credited here along with everyone else, which is the second clue to their existance.

I censored it so you all have to wait until NG+



RIP Imageepoch.





Art guys? We're cool. The art style is one of Extra's few good points.



Which one of you fuckers planned Week 6!?



And fuck whichever one of you came up with the battle system!









Music: Ending




The music was the other good point to Extra.

Not as good as CCC, mind, but we all have to start somewhere.









They had one proofreader? For all of this? Jesus Christ I'm surprised it got out with as few typos as it did!













Sorta funny how, despite how titanic the Fate series has become in the west, the original VN still has no official English release.



Music: None


And a post-credits scene to send us off.

But to me, you're the only Master that matters. So another you wouldn't affect me one bit.

If it'll make you feel better, I wouldn't mind serving that "other" Master, but—



Farewell, Tamamo-no-Mae.

















Farewell, Hakuno Kishinami.






































































Next time: We go back to square one.